Disability Rights UK E-Newsletter 13 May 2019

Our free newsletter keeps you up to date with the work we do and the work of our members.

Despite the rainy weekend, we hope that you’ve had a good week and that our e-newsletter finds you well.

Our Training Courses

Disability Confidence Training for Managers – there is still space on our next course which will take place on 21st June in central London. This is aimed at professionals looking to increase their knowledge and understanding of supporting disabled staff members.

Benefits Overview Training – unfortuantely our 12th June course is now full. However, do keep an eye on the website as new dates will be added soon!

Our new handbook has now been printed and is available to purchase! Everything you need to know about benefits and social care. First come, first served. Get yours now!

Factsheets, Guides and Information: For information on welfare rights, education issues and social care see our factsheets/guides here

Fundraising swim for DR UK: We are extremely grateful to Luke Stevens, the son of our chair Martin, who is swimming 10k (the swimmers equivalent of a marathon!) on 9th June to raise money for DR UK and the MS International Federation. Please do sponsor Luke for undertaking this amazing feat. We wish him luck (not that he’ll need it!).

Members, projects and partners

Get Yourself Active: Learn more about GYA‘s research and evaluation from our project partners by signing up to a short webinar on Wednesday 5th June. Discussions will be led by the following:

Professor Brett Smith, Head of Research, School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham: led on the development of the Social Worker Guidelines, the CMO guidelines and the testing of the composite case study.

Tim Bidey, Senior Consultant, Traverse: led on the Get Yourself Active monitoring and evaluation over the past four years, who will be discussing the findings of the report.

The EnABle Fund for Elected Office – 19 applicants to the Fund elected into local government office: The EnAble Fund for Elected Office – administered by Disability Rights UK – is intended to cover the additional financial costs associated with being disabled that would otherwise prevent someone from seeking elected office. Local government elections took place on Thursday 2nd May in Metropolitan Districts, Shire Districts and Unitary Authorities. Disabled people standing for election in any of these tiers of local government in England, were eligible to apply to the Fund to meet the costs of reasonable adjustments for their campaign. We are delighted to announce that 19 applicants, representing the political spectrum and various local councils across England, were successfully elected. Feedback from many of the applicants, including some that were not elected, is that the Fund – which is provided by the Government Equalities Office – enabled them to participate on a level playing field.

The Fund is intended to cover reasonable adjustments for disabled candidates in the Police and Crime Commissioner Elections in 2020. Click here for more information.

Tell us about your care: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) are asking disabled people, those living with a long-term health condition, and their families to share their experiences through the Tell Us About Your Care survey. You can also call us to complete the survey on your behalf – 0330 995 0400 (afternoons are quietest), choose Option 1 and quote; ‘CQC’ when your call is answered.

CQC want to know how to work better with you locally: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) want to find out your views on how they can work with you and how you work with your local communities. Fill out this questionnaire to shape new guidance. You can also email the questionnaire or post it to return it back to them. Download a copy now or take the questionnaire online. The survey closes 31 May 2019.

Your Right to Participate: We have set up a Right to Participate website, which has videos, animations, information and resources to help you find out more about the Equality Act and how to fight discrimination. Find out more

DR UK is now recruiting for the 2019/20 cohort of its flagship Leadership Academy Programme (LAP): 80% of our delegates have gone on to achieve new promotion opportunities, joined committees or disability networks and seen an increase in their confidence, motivation and self-belief. Find out more

Equality Advisory and Support Service: We recently visited the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) helpline to meet their team and get an insight into how the service functions. We were impressed by the depth of expertise in relation to disability, which makes up two thirds of all discrimination enquiries i.e. twice as many as all other protected characteristics combined! The EASS has launched a new suite of advice aids such as this Timeline to record important dates and events. We are planning ways we can combine resources to build on our own Right to Participate project.

Vacancies and opportunities

Health and Care Professions Council vacancies:The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) is a regulator of health and care professionals whose aim is to protect the public. To do this, they keep a register of health, psychological and social work professionals who meet their standards for training, professional skills, behaviour and health. They are seeking to appoint three registrant members of the Council. The closing date for applications is 9am on Monday 20 May 2019 and interviews will be held on Wednesday 19 – Friday 21 June 2019. To find out more see the attachment with this e-news.

DR UK are looking for a Sales Volunteer: We are recruiting for a volunteer to join our sales team and learn the various aspects of a busy sales department. Find out more

Have your say

Calling all organisations supporting disabled people with personal health budgets: NHS England have launched a programme to encourage CCGs to increase the number of personal health budget holders in their area. 20K is available to each CCG that successfully applies for support to help encourage the take up of PHBs. You can find details and how to apply in the attached slides. CCGs will have to get their skates on – applications need to be submitted by 17th May.

Skills for Care are looking for comments on their draft paper: Skills for Care have written a report on PAs supporting their employers in hospital and are looking for comments. Please find the report attached. Comments should be sent to paframework@skillsforcare.org.uk by 31st May.

Inclusive Boards want to hear from you: Inclusive Boards are looking to produce a toolkit with the aim of increasing the number of disabled people holding positions at board and senior leadership level. The toolkit will launch in the House of Commons later this year. In order to make the toolkit as impactful as possible, Inclusive Boards want to hear from you, be it your personal experiences or any other insights you can offer. To contribute, please contact Samual Carey at sam.c@inclusiveboards.co.uk by Friday 26 May.

Calling people with personal health budgets: NHS England want to learn from your experiences. The survey closes on 14th May so fill it in before the deadline!

News

80 civil society groups submit evidence to indicate UK failed to meet it’s anti-torture obligations: The UN Committee against Torture are reviewing the UK’s compliance with its obligations under the Convention against Torture (CAT) which it ratified in 1988. A report compiled by Redress, with contributions from a number of organisations including DR UK, indicates that there have been wide ranging failures by the UK in complying with the convention. Particular concerns include the number of people being detained under the Mental Health Act and ill treatment in care homes. Read more

Vulnerable man at risk for 18 months because of safeguarding failings: the Social Care Ombudsman have found that a disabled man was placed at a ‘significiant and avoidable risk of harm’ by Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council after they closed a safegurading investigation without completing it and failed to comply with their own procedures. Read more

Complaints about PIP assessments up 6000% in three years: The number of formal complaints about PIP assessments has surged, providing additional reason to believe that the system is negatively affecting disabeld people. 73% of people intitially denied PIP win their appeal at an independent tribunal. Read more

Universal Credit migration arrangements for profoundly disabled people ruled unlawful: The High Court has ruled that the government’s Universal Credit migration arrangements for those who previously received the Severe Disability Premium and moved onto Universal Credit before 16 January 2019 are unlawful. If the arrangements had been allowed to go ahead they would have left over 10,000 profoundly disabled people around a £100-a-month worse off. Read more

High court rules arrangements for helping blind voters are unlawful: The High Court has given a damning judgment on the Government’s current arrangements for blind and partially sighted voters, declaring them unlawful and describing them as being “a parody of the electoral process”. The adaptation used at ballot boxes is called the tactile voting device (TVD). This fits over the ballot paper to allow a user to mark an X in a particular place. It was ruled that the system did not allow blind and partially sighted people to vote independently. Read more

New Equally Ours campaign: Equally Our has launched its Human Rights. Our Rights. campaign. The campaign builds public support for human rights, so that everybody understands, values and feels empowered to use them. Two short films bring to life the right to respect for private and family life and the right to freedom from slavery and forced labour. The films feature real-life focus groups responding to credible but fake products that have features that breach our human rights – they demonstrate how human rights matter to the British public.

Plexal

Getting to DR UK at Plexel: Free shuttle buses run from Stratford underground, train and bus stations from 7am to 10.30pm.

Free shuttle buses run from Stratford underground, train and bus stations from 7am to 10.30pm. There are two pickup points for the shuttle bus: